Some vehicles, such as golf carts, have a storage area located behind the driver's seat where equipment, such as golf clubs, may be kept. A protective canopy may be attached to the cart to shield the storage area and its contents from rain and sun. An example of such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,037. In the prior art there are retractable awnings having a plurality of U-shaped rib members and a fabric cover. The U-shaped rib members have ends terminating at a common pivot point. Such a design places high forces on the pin used to provide the common pivot point, and results in frictional forces between the rib members, which make the awning difficult to deploy and store and may reduce the useful life of the awning. There is therefore a need for awning systems which reduce the forces placed on pivot pins and for awning systems which reduce or eliminate the frictional forces between rib members.
The prior art also includes designs in which each successively adjacent rib member is dimensioned slightly less than its preceding rib member to allow nesting of all the rib members in a common plane when the awning is in its retracted position. In order to allow for nesting and also provide proper coverage for the storage compartment of the cart, the prior art also discloses a transition plate extending between the cart roof and one of the rib members. Although there are advantages to an awning in which the rib members may nest with each other, the transition plate increases the cost associated with providing the awning, requires relatively precise positioning of the awning with respect to the cart roof, and complicates the design. Consequently, there is a need for nestable awning systems which do not require a transition plate.
The prior art also discloses gathering flaps, which are used to wrap around the rib members in order to hold the rib members in the nested position. Such flaps are unsightly, particularly when the awning is deployed and the flap is not in use. Even when the flap is in use, the flap does little to minimize the aesthetic degradation resulting from having an unused awning attached to the cart. Further, such flaps are difficult to use since the user must hold the rib members in the nested position with one hand and secure the flap with the other hand while leaning over the storage compartment of the cart. Placing the user in such a position may also present a safety issue, particularly when the surface the user is standing on is wet or consists of material which may shift, such as loose gravel. Therefore, there is a need for awning systems that do not require a flap to hold the awning in the undeployed position.